With trade show season now pretty much a year-round event, meeting with media and making the most of opportunities such as video interviews and press conferences can be difficult. Here at Awe Creative we believe good media relations is key to brand development and we have a few tips to help you make the most of any time you have in front of the press.
1. Planning is crucial
With a constant stream of meetings with press likely at some trade shows it can be difficult to plan for each one so ask your agency to supply information on who you’re meeting, which title they’re from and what they’re hoping to discuss with you. Keep this information to hand as it will help to target the conversation and make sure you don’t go completely off topic.
2. Decide on the key points you want to get across
No doubt you have numerous products you want to tell everyone about as well as a new team member and maybe a new report or strategy to explain. While all this may be crucial to you, many journalists will be restricted by both time and space so keep conversations targeted. Have two or three key points in mind that you want to explain to each journalist – this could be the product most relevant to their readers; a well-crafted soundbite on the state of the industry; or an introduction to a new contact who will be able to provide regular updates on company activity.
3. Share your company ethos and goals
Particularly if you are meeting the journalist for the first time, it’s a good idea to give a brief overview of the company – how it started, how you work and what your goals are. As well as helping to build a relationship, offering information on the company’s aims will help the journalist to identify future opportunities to work together.
4. Offer comment on wider industry trends
If you can be seen as a thought leader and someone who keeps abreast of the industry as a whole, this will create more media opportunities be it contributing to features or featuring on a panel discussion.
5. Give them something to take away
We all know how hectic events are, and it’s no different for the media. Giving them a USB or small (and light!) takeaway document means they can review the content when it comes to writing their final piece. Always include a business card or contact details too so they know who is the best person to contact for more information.
6. Practice
This is particularly important ahead of a video interview. If you have a few minutes to film a video interview it’s a good idea to practice what you want to say and make sure you have the key points clear in your mind before you’re in front of the camera. Preparing for TV and video interviews is an artform in itself so look out for a future blog on this issue in the coming weeks.
For more hints, tips and best practice advice visit www.beaconcreativeservices.com
